Blink of an Eye (episode)
Over time and generations, a world tries to uncover the mystery of a strange object in the sky. Summary [[USS Voyager|USS Voyager]] approaches a planet rotating 58 times per minute and, while investigating, the ship enters a gravimetric gradient pulling it into an orbit in which the crew becomes trapped. The tachyon core of the planet has created a differential in space-time, meaning that time passes much more quickly on the planet than in the rest of space. Within "moments" of Voyager's arrival and entrapment many years have passed on the surface. The initial entry into orbit coincides with an earthquake interpreted by the inhabitants as an act of a new deity, the Voyager ship appearing as a new bright star in the sky. As time passes, the planet's inhabitants quickly enter an industrial age and gain technology to the point where radio transmissions are possible. A message is received from the surface by Seven of Nine which tells the crew of their insinuation into the culture and mythology of the planet's people. For centuries the society lives with the constant ground-shaking effect brought about by Voyager and its effects on the natural poles and rotation of the planet. Cautious about first contact with a pre-warp civilization and aware of the accelerated aging causing by the time differential, Captain Janeway employs the Doctor to beam to the planet on an undercover mission to gather data in an effort to find a way for Voyager to escape orbit. As Janeway and B'Elanna Torres prepare to beam him back, the signal is lost. By the time the Doctor is successfully located and beamed back on board, three years have passed on the planet. He explains that Voyager is a catalyst for invention and that a space race is in progress to make contact. Using the Doctor's data, the crew attempts an escape but after only meters of ascent seismic activity increases and the exercise is aborted. In the meantime, a space capsule from the planet surface reaches Voyager and the two visitors find the crew in what appears to be some form of stasis. The time differential causes them to see microseconds on board the ship. As they reach the bridge, they enter Voyager's time-frame and collapse, to the surprise of the bridge crew. One of the pilots does not survive the transition. The surviving pilot tells of how he has grown up always knowing of the "sky ship". Although every minute spent aboard means years pass on the surface he agrees to help the crew interpret the Doctor's data and find a way to break orbit. As Seven scans the surface she detects warp experimentation. Soon after, Voyager is being attacked by antimatter torpedoes and a tricobalt device. The pilot returns to his planet with specifications of Voyager, with Janeway hoping he can convince his planet's rulers to stop the attacks and help them leave orbit. After more attacks and a planet's year since the pilot returned, two ships appear next to Voyager and deploy a tractor beam to pull it clear. Using a temporal compensator invented on his planet, the pilot returns one last time to say goodbye before the sky ship leaves forever. Background Information * This episode was being prepped for shooting under the title "Wink of an Eye" when production realized that there was already a TOS episode by that name. Furthering the coincidence, both stories feature aliens existing at a much faster rate who visit the ship and see the slower crew apparently "frozen". *Obi Ndefo previously played Drex, Martok's son, in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season four premiere "The Way of the Warrior". * One and a half second is one day on the planet, so three years are 24.7 seconds. Links and References Guest Stars *Melik Malkasian as Shaman *Walter H. McCready as Tribal Alien *Obi Ndefo as Protector Kelemane *Olaf Pooley as Cleric *Daniel Zacapa as (Blink of an Eye) Astronomer *Jon Cellini as Technician (Blink of an Eye) *Daniel Dae Kim as Gotana-Retz *Kat Sawyer-Young as Tureena *Tarik Ergin as Ayala (uncredited) References "sky ship"; Mareeza; Jason Tebreeze Category:VOY episodes de:Es geschah in einem Augenblick nl:Blink of an Eye